Shoe sole protecting device



Dec. 12, 1939. c. s. STARESINA SHOE SOLE PROTECTING DEVICE Filed July 4, 1959 INVENTOR. Char/e: Szaresmq 9W M A/C/G- 5 ATTORNEY.

Patented Dec. 12,1939 I I UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE SHOE SOLE PROTECTING DEVICE Charles S. Staresina, Cleveland, Ohio Application July 4, 1939, Serial No. 2823307 10 Claims. (01. 36-72) An object of my invention is to provide a device which will enable a person to apply shoe dressing to the surface of a shoe without smearing the dressing on the sole extension or on the sole edge.

Another object of my invention is to provide a device which will protect the sole and heel edges from shoe dressing.

Another object of my invention is to provide a single device for baby shoes which is reversible for use on both the right and left shoes.

Another object of my invention is to provide a device for aiding in cleaning shoes in which an adjustment is embodied thereby increasing the utility of the device.

Still another object of my invention is to provide a device for protecting shoe sole extensions which is flexible to permit adjustment for various different shapes of shoes.

Still another object of my invention is to provide a sole guard which temporarily attaches to the sole of a shoe thereby obviating the necessity of the person holding the device against his shoe.

A further object of my invention is to provide tabs on the device which engage the shoe sole to retain the device in its proper position with respect to the shoe.

Another object of my invention is to provide simple means for attaching my device to a shoe.

Other objects and a fuller understanding of my invention may be obtained by referring to the following description and claims/in which:

Figure 1 is an isometric view of one embodiment of my invention showing a device adapted for use on an adults shoe.

Figure 2 is an isometric view of another embodiment of my invention showing a device adapted for use on a babys shoe.

Figure 3 is a cross sectional view taken along line 33 of Figure 1 showing a portion'of a shoe and sole upon which is mounted the device.

Figure 4 is a cross sectional view taken along line 4@ of Figure 1 and shows the telescopic arrangement which permits for size adjustment.

Figure 5 is a cross sectional view taken along line 5-5 of Figure 2 showing the clasp which is used to hold the two ends of the device together.

And Figure 6'is a cross sectional view taken along line 6-6 of Figure 1 and shows a portion of a babys shoe and sole upon which is mounted the device.

With reference to Figure 1 of the drawing my invention is a sole and heel protecting device for shoes and comprises a vertical wall II and an inwardly turned top surface iii. The protecting device I is adapted to prevent slizoe dressing such.

as shoe milk or other whitening preparations from soiling the sole and heel sides and from soiling the sole and heel extensions. The sole and heel extensions are the projections of the sole and heel beyond the uppers.

As illustrated in Figure 1 of the drawing my device maybe made in three parts or, as illustrated in Figure 2, it may be made in a single piece. However, it is to be understood it is within the purview of this invention that any number of parts may be used to achieve the same results.

Figure 1 shows a preferred embodiment for an adults shoe. It comprises a front portion I4, an

4 outside heel portion I and an inside heel portion I6. Each of the portions I 4, I5, and I6 have an inwardly turned top surface I2. It may be seen from the drawing that the inwardly turned top surface I2 of the portions I5 and I6 are not so wide as the inwardly turned top surface I2 of the front portion I4. This is for 'the reason that the heel of a'shoe does not extend beyond the upper so much as the sole does. The outside heel portion I5 is provided at one end with part of a clasp member I9 and the inside heel portion I6 is provided at one end with a complementary part of a clasp member 20. Thesetwo parts are adapted to engage each other, as may be seen in Figure 5, and hold the heel portions of the device ID together. I have provided telescopic means for longitudinally adjusting the device to enable one device to be used with shoes of different lengths. This adjustment means is identified by numeral 21 in Figure l and is made by folding part of the vertical Wall I I of each heel portion I5 and I6 into a narrow U-shaped passageway 22 and positioning the vertical wall I I of the front portion I4 into the U-shaped passageway 22. This telescopic adjusting means is preferably placed near the instep of the shoe where there is a minimum amount of curvature to the outline of the sole and where the sole extension beyond the upper is of suohan extent to allow a fairly wide inwardly turned top surface I2. The width of the top surface I2 and the U-shaped passageway 22 prevent the heel portions I5 and I6 from separating vertically from the front portion I l. To prevent the portions from separating longitudinally, I crimp the heel portions I5 and I6 to form a depressed groove 23 and. crimp each end of the forward portion I4 to form raised stop portions 2 1. The raised stop portions 24 are adapted to slide in the depressed groove 23 'but as the depressed groove 23 does not extend to the end of the heel-portions I5 and I6 the front and heel portions are prevented from separating longitudinally by the raised stop portions 24 engaging the forward edge of the depressed groove 23.

At spaced intervals around the vertical wall I I of the forward portion I4 I have provided lugs 25 which engage the bottom of the sole of the shoe which is being dressed thereby holding the shoe and the device in a fixed relationship with each other. When the lugs 25 engage the shoe sole properly and when the clasp members I9 and 20 are in engagement the device will remain positioned on the shoe in a proper place to protect the sole sides and the sole extensions without the aid of a persons hand.

Figure 3 is a cross sectional view taken along line 33 of Figure 1 and shows the device of Figure 1 in place on a shoe 29. Figure 3 shows the manner in which the lug 25 engages the sole 30 to hold the inwardly turned top surface l2 in place.

Figure 4 is a cross sectional view taken along the line d4 of Figure 1, showing the telescopic means 2| in detail. Numeral 16 indicates the heel portion which is folded at the bottom into a U-shaped passageway 22. In the passageway 22 the forward portion I4 is slidably mounted. The depressed groove 23 is illustrated and the raised stop portion 24 is shown slidably positioned in the depressed groove. As the depressed groove 23 tapers into the inside heel portion I6 it provides a retaining wall at each end which engages the raised stop portion 24 thereby preventing the heel portion 1 8 from separating from the forward portion l4 when the telescopic means is actuated.

Figure 5 is a cross sectional view taken along line 5-5 of Figure 1 and shows the two complementary clasp members l9 and 20 in engagement with each other.

In Figure 2 I have shown another preferred embodiment of my invention which finds particular utility in use with baby shoes. It comprises a vertical wall ll, an inwardly turned top surface l2 and an inwardly turned bottom surface l3. With the top surface l2 facing upward the left shoe of a pair of baby shoes may be positioned in the device and cleaned. The inwardly turned 'top surface l2 prevents the dressing from soiling the sole of the shoe. With the inwardly turned bottom surface facing upward the right shoe of the pair of babys shoes may be treated in the same manner. Thus it will be seen that my embodiment shown in Figure 2 is reversible and only one device is necessary to serve both the right and the left shoes of a pair. I have provided my reversible device shown in Figure 2 with a pair of complementary clasp members l9 and 20. These members are similar to the clasp members l9 and 20 of Figure 1 and serve the same purpose. Further, I have provided my reversible device with lugs 25 similar in design and purpose to the lugs 25 in Figure 1.

Figure 6 is a cross sectional view taken along line 5-5 of Figure 2 and shows the reversible device as positioned on a baby shoe 3|.

Although I have described my invention with a certain degree of particularity, it is understood that the present disclosure has been made only by way of example and that numerous changes in the details of construction and the combination and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit and the scope of the invention as hereinafter claimed.

I claim as my invention:

1. A device for protecting the sole extension of shoes comprising, in combination, a length of flexible non-elastic material having an angularly disposed surface adapted to cover the said sole extension and having spaced t bs adapted to engage the sole of the shoe thereby holding the angularly disposed surface against the sole extension.

2. A device for protecting the edges of shoe soles and the sole extension comprising, in combination, a length of flexible non-elastic material adapted to engage the sole edges, said length of material having an inwardly turned edge adapted to cover the said sole extension and having spaced tabs adapted to engage the sole of the shoe thereby holding the turned edge against the sole extension.

3. A device for protecting the edges and extensions of shoe soles comprising, in combination, a length of flexible non-elastic material adapted to conform to the shape of the shoe sole and heel thereby protecting their edges and having complementary clasp means at each end for engaging to hold said length of material to said shoe, said length of material having an inwardly turned edge adapted to cover the said sole extension and having spaced tabs adapted to engage the sole of the shoe thereby holding the turned edge against the sole extension.

4. A device for protecting the edges and extensions of shoe soles and heels comprising, in combination, a sole protector comprising a length of flexible non-elastic material adapted to conform to the shape of the shoe sole thereby protecting the sole edges, a heel protector comprising a length of flexible non-elastic material adapted to conform to the shape of the heel thereby protecting the heel edges, and telescopic means adapted to adjustably connect said sole protector to said heel protector.

5. A device for protecting the edges and extensions of shoe soles and heels comprising, in combination, a sole edge protector comprising a length of flexible non-elastic material adapted to conform to the shape of the shoe sole, a heel edge protector comprising an outside length of flexible non-elastic material adapted to conform to the shape of the outside edge of the heel and an inside length of flexible non-elastic material adapted to conform to the shape of the inside edge of the heel, telescopic means for adjustably connecting said outside heel protector and said inside heel protector to said sole protector and clasp means for securing said outside and inside heel protectors together, said lengths of material having inwardly turned edges for protecting the sole and heel extensions.

6. A device for protecting the edges and extensions of shoe soles and heels comprising, in combination, a length of flexible non-elastic material having complementary clasp means at each end thereof and adapted to conform to the shape of the sole and heel of a shoe, said length of material having inwardly turned top and bottom edges adapted to cover the sole and heel extensions, and spaced tabs located on said flexible non-elastic material substantially mid-way between said turned top and bottom edges to engage the sole of the shoe thereby holding the turned edge against the sole extension.

7. A device for protecting the edges and extensions of a pair of shoes comprising, in combination, a length of non-elastic material shaped to conform to the outline of a shoe and having inwardly turned top and bottom edges adapted to protect the shoe extensions of both the right and left shoes, said length of material having complementary clasp means on each of its ends adapted to engage each other to hold said device in place on a shoe.

8. A device for protecting the edges and extensions of a pair of shoes comprising, in combination, a length of material adapted to conform to the outline of a shoe and having an inwardly turned top edge adapted to protect the extensions of one shoe of the said pair and having an inwardly turned bottom edge adapted to protect the extensions of the other shoe of the pair.

9. A device for protecting the edges and extensions of a pair of shoes comprising, in combination, a length of material adapted to conform to the outline of a shoe and having an inwardly turned top edge adapted to protect the extensions of one shoe of the said pair and having an inwardly turned bottom edge adapted to protect the extensions of the other shoe of the pair, said length of material having two ends, each end constituting complementary attaching means adapted to engage the other to fasten said device to a shoe.

10. A device for protecting the edges and extensions of a pair of shoes comprising, in combination, a length of material adapted to conform to the outline of a shoe and having an inwardly turned top edge adapted 'to protect the extensions of one shoe of the said pair and having an inwardly turned bottom edge adapted to protect the extensions of the other shoe of the .pair, said length of material having two ends,

each end constituting complementary attaching means adapted to engage the other to fasten said device to a shoe, and tab means located on said device substantially mid-way between said top and bottom turned edges to engage the sole of the shoe to maintain the device in its proper po-' sition.

CHARLES S. STARESINA. 

